Linger
by Skylo
Summary: Zim has trouble voicing his feelings. An old fic I did. ZAGir


_What is this feeling?_  
_How do I explain it?'_  
_At this point our little "talk" turned into a stare-off, as usual. His cute, pouting stare against my blank, thoughtful one. I cant win-I never do-but today, I stretched the seconds a bit longer. Maybe today I can come up with an answer before..._  
As if on cue, his eyes flashed the way they do when he wants something.  
Oh he wanted it so badly.  
I diverted my eyes, trying to distract myself.  
I'm not giving in today, not until I give him his answer.  
_You can do this._  
_You are an invader!_  
_You are an invader?_  
_...No, you are a fool._  
_A fool...for him._  
_For your own robot..._  
_You're HIS servant._  
_He's got you wrapped around his finger._  
_You try to deny it, to hide it._  
_And though you know not why, you bow to his every whim._  
_Yes, yes you do know why._  
_It's that feeling._  
_That word._  
_And if you could find out what it was, and tell him..._  
_Maybe thats the only way to break the spell he has on you._  
_But then, what if it gave him more power?_  
_Would we battle over who gives it more meaning?_  
_Wait a second..._  
_...isn't that something the humans do when they..._  
He cut my thoughts short with a whine.  
A long, pleading, desperate whine.  
"Zimmmyyy..."

And for a moment I felt like I was in charge here.  
What is it called?  
Dominant?  
Yes, I felt dominant.  
For the first time since I became a fool for him.  
I knew he was just acting, I knew that all too well, but I enjoyed all 6 seconds of it.  
I loved the way he emphasized each syllable of that adorable little nickname he'd given me.  
I inhaled sharply, taking it in.  
Then I noticed something.  
The plea transformed into almost a demand as he cut it off.  
That feeling that I'm trying to explain... it wasn't there, nowhere to be found in his voice.  
_What's it called?_  
_This feeling he seems to lack?_  
_Affection._  
_Thats it._  
_He cannot show affection._  
_He's a robot._  
_He's mine._  
_So, to show affection for your posession is..._  
_Caring about it?_  
_When you care about something you take care of it._  
_You treasure it._  
_If you truly care for it, you do whatever it asks of you._  
_You pamper it, nurture it, keep it safe..._  
_Never in all my life have I not figured something out._  
_And as a scientist, it shouldn't have taken me this long._

My eyes locked with his.  
"I have something to say..."  
His eyes widened a bit in surprise, and slight disbelief.  
I slipped my hand in his and squeezed, quite unsure of what to say.  
What could I say?  
Just say how I feel?  
"Gir, I care about you..."

I guess I said something wrong.  
He burst out laughing.  
_Ok Zim, lets take a step back._  
_This is like an experiment._  
_Problem, hypothesis, experiment, results, conclusion._  
_He's laughing at me..._  
_Conclusion? I was wrong._  
_Error? Error? Where's the error?_  
_In the hypothesis, right..._  
He continued to laugh as I sorted it out.  
I started removing elements from the equation, and plugging more in.  
Many were just guess work.  
But one stuck.  
_He's a person in my eyes._  
_And if anyone is a posession here it's me._  
_He owns me._  
_Since my other hypothesis is obviously incorrect, this feeling I feel must be more._  
_So what? Does it mean he has no obligations, since I am his? Should his feelings not be equal to mine?_  
_Does it matter?_  
_Since I am his, does it give him the liberty to have a lesser feeling?_  
_Or worse, none at all?_  
_Will I forever be doomed to not have my feelings returned?_

_This seems so._  
_Whatever I caught in his voice earlier seems to fit the description._

_But now..._  
_Right now..._  
_The twinkle in his eyes..._  
_His cute laugh..._  
_They seem almost as genuine is my feelings..._

_Oh, who am I, but a scientist?_  
_I'm no poet._  
_I understand this feeling, but have no means to describe it._  
_Will I ever be able to tell him?_  
_If he doesnt feel this too, he wouldnt be able to help me._  
_And I could express it but...that would entail him getting what he's asking for._  
_And then I would have nothing to bribe him with, to tell me what this means._

He stroked my cheek and chuckled softly.  
"You're so silly.  
I love you for it, though."

That was it...  
That word...

Love.

It sent my heart racing, and my head spinning.

Love.

I blushed uncontrollably, flattening my antennae against my head.  
He kissed my hand that was still gripping his.

"You're so cute sometimes, you know."

I giggled, butterflies going crazy, tying a knot in my squeedily-spooch.

At that, my consiousness wavered, and I knew that by tomorrow, I'd be too love-dazed to remember that simple little phrase. And he'd have to teach me what it meant again.

I love you.


End file.
